Moonglo digital interconnects
are a unique product designed to eliminate the effects of mechanical
noise and resonance found in digital signal cables. Both versions
consist of two separate Teflon coax cables. Each coax contains
a silver-plated, multi-filament center conductor. This is covered
with a layer of Teflon, which is in turn shielded with a layer
of silver. This is then covered with a layer of extruded Teflon.
The coaxes are twisted together with two cushioned filaments
of Teflon and jacketed with another layer of Teflon. This is
a superb way of eliminating timing errors, jitter, and mechanical
noise in the cable.

Each cable is terminated
with Moonglo RCA connectors. This interconnect is also available
with AES/EBU connectors. Moonglo is a very detailed and fast
cable with incredible imaging.

In the Beginning .
. .

In January 1991, Vincent
Garino, his brother Jeffrey, and Joe Reynolds made their all-important
first connection by founding an audio company called Nordost
Corporation. Their ambition was to create the most technologically
advanced wire company in the consumer electronics industry. They
wanted to manufacture loudspeaker cables and interconnects manifesting
such clarity that the product "sounded" of nothing
at all. In their view, the ultimate audio connection was silent
and invisible. The best wire should simply act as a reliable
viaduct for sonic signals to travel, with razor sharp speed,
from one audio component to another.

This simple and elegant
Nordost philosophy was born out of the excesses of the 1980s.
During this period, the cable industry was discredited by voodoo
technologies that meticulously claimed to have reinvented the
wheel of wire production. Such promises were either plain weird
or just bogus, and the absence of a legitimate scientific foundation
undermined the credibility of audio cable in the eyes of many
consumers. The Nordost Corporation was determined to re-establish
this credibility. And to do so, the fledgling company understood
that cable needed to build on more legitimate scientific grounds.

Personal Statement  I think all of us are
searching for the Holy Grail of audio without having to mortgage
our homes.Many
consumers are under the impression that to attain this Holy Grail
we need to buy the highest (most expensive) quality components.This is absolutely not true!Granted, even the least expensive high quality is not
cheap, but it is within the means of most of us, and while the
very best equipment will probably be better by a certain degree,
that degree will be minimal if we are careful in selecting the
equipment we own so they work synergistically together.

Cable Background  Up to this point, Ive
used Audioquest, MIT, Discovery, and Tributaries as my digital
cables. The Tributaries were my cable of choice. It had the best
transparency in my system. Ironically, it was the lowest priced
cable in the group.

For this test, I kept a singled-ended Tributary
between the CD transport and the Genesis Digital lens. I inserted
the Moonglo between the digital lens and the DAC.

Day 1

My first impression of this cable was that it sounded
just like the Tributaries with less at the higher frequencies.It was just as clear sounding, but less top end.Because of this loss, the depth of the sonic image decreased,
and string plucks didnt have quite the bite I was accustomed
to.Also, the cymbals
lost some of their metallic shimmer. However, the sound was still
quite good.

This is where we go to step 2, burning in the cable.
I put the CD on repeat and let it run over and over. Every so
often I listened to the music and found that my impression was
changing.It seemed
that it was beginning to sound better, more open.One thought that kept crossing my mind was
that the images were taking on more body, perhaps even better
than the Tributaries.

Day 2

When I awoke the next morning, I set the track
to play one of my favorite tunes.It sounded glorious!In the past, Ive listened many times to this cut
because it brings a tear of joy to my eyes for its sonic qualities,
and today was no exception.I replaced this CD with another that I like to use because
its transparency seems to change readily to the changes in the
equipments transparency. It sounded somewhat like the day
before, the highs were somewhat less apparent, but the body of
the images were very believable.

Let me make a note here to explain why I dont
mention CD titles.I
have found that everyones taste is different, and what
I enjoy, others might not.What I think is more important to you is my perception
of the characteristics of the equipment under review.I believe that these characteristics are what you will
be aware of when you have this cable in your system.

Just remember, every reviewer, including you, is
working from a baseline, meaning that our systems present us
with a very unique sonic quality, and each system responds to
changes differently.For
instance, lets say your system is a tad too bright and
a little hard around the edges.My impression is that the Moonglo
would be a step in the right direction.Its sound is very smooth.In other systems where the top end is just right, this
interconnect might increase the level of detail but reduce the
level of highs.This
may be desirable or not, depending on the priorities of the listener.There are other considerations too.If your system is not capable of allowing you
to hear the differences between cables, then you should upgrade
other parts of your system first.

Let me tell you a little story.My friend, who lives about 500 miles from here, was listening
to CDs through his computer with a thin miniplug connected to
his stereo. His stereo was not high-end stuff, but it was pleasant
to listen to and most importantly, he liked the way it sounded.I had this great idea about showing him what his equipment
was capable of, so I loaded the car up with thousands of dollars
worth of transports, DACs, and cables, and rushed down there.I have to tell you, I was in for an education, because
after I hooked everything up, it sounded worse.I tried everything I knew to make this system sound better,
but the bottom line was, his computer CD was far more synergistic
with his audio system than all of this expensive gear I had brought.Lesson learned!

Back to the review:

After listening to the Moonglo for many hours/daysm,
I had forgotten how the Tributaries sounded.

The Moonglos were very pleasant, and I had no problem
becoming satisfied with them.

Now it was time to switch back to the Tributaries
and compare with my initial impressions.

The results: My initial impressions still
stand, but with reservations.

The Tributaries were still more open on top, but
now they seemed to be a bit on the bright side. They gave a little
more soundstage depth and sparkle to metallic sounds.

The Moonglos still gave a slightly better impression
of image body and naturalness to voices.They made overly bright/harsh sounds more palatable.

For
my personal choice, I cant decide! I like them both for
different reasons.I
think for long term listening at louder volumes (I usually like
to listen at lower volumes), I would prefer the Moonglo.
At very low volumes, like at night when I need to be a little
quieter, I prefer the Tributaries.But then my mood could change my preference. They are
both very good cables.

Now, if I could find a cable that fits between
these two, I would have my Holy Grail of digital cables. This
does leave me with other choices.I can change the interconnects from the DAC to the preamp
to one that is a little brighter then the present AudioTruth
Emeralds.I have
many more choices if I go this path.Forgive me, but I am a constant tweaker.

Recommendations: Ask yourself two questions.

1) Does your system sound a little bright or harsh?

2)
Do voices seem on the thin side (no body to the voices)?

If you answered yes to either of these questions,
then this cable might be what you need to step to the next level.

One
more point, my system is very transparent with the Tributaries.If your digital interconnect is less transparent then
this cable, then going to the Moonglo
will definitely be a step up (or two) in transparency.

The Moonglo is a very good cable.
Even though it is expensive (all good digital cables are),
if it does the trick for you, its well worth the price.

- Steven Surprenant -

&COPY; Copyright 1999 Secrets
of Home Theater & High Fidelity
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